Iron 44 Tribute, YouTube Link

Almost one year ago, August 5, 2008, Carson Helicopters and Grayback Forestry suffered a devastating loss.

PJ worked closely with the men and women involved in this incident. He put together a heartfelt tribute dedicated to the Iron 44 Incident.

The movie he made was originally posted to his website, (http://thehelibase.com/2008/08/iron-44-tribute.html) but he asked that it also be posted to YouTube with our other helicopter videos. Because of the length of the movie, I have divided it in to two parts.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cXUvlw2_aU

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB_hjjexhmk

As the one year anniversary of the incident nears, please keep the friends and family of all involved in your hearts and in your prayers.

Iron 44 Tribute

"This move was made with the utmost respect, admiration and heartfelt feelings for all those involved in the Iron 44 incident." - PJ

Credit for the making of this tribute goes to my favorite helicopter pilot, my one love, PJ Hunt.

Dedicated to Iron 44

People risk their lives for the sake of our own in many ways, our military is a wonderful example of men and woman we should be proud of and thankful for. Another is our fire fighters. Today a Sikorsky helicopter crashed in Northern California in the area of Trinity Alps. I am grateful for those who have inquired about PJ, he is safe and he is fine. Below is a list of those killed or injured in the Trinity Alps accident and I think it's important to take a moment and pray for their loved ones. The names listed are courtesy of the Sac Bee.

KILLED IN THE CRASH

GRAYBACK FORESTRY EMPLOYEES

Shawn Blazer, 30

Medford, Ore.

Scott Charleson, 25

Phoenix, Ore.

Matthew Hammer, 23

Grants Pass, Ore.

Edrik Gomez, 19

Ashland, Ore.

Steven Renno, 21

Cave Junction, Ore.

Bryan Rich, 29

Medford, Ore.

David Steele, 19

Ashland, Ore.

CARSON HELICOPTERS EMPLOYEE

Roark Schwanenberg, 54

Lostine, Ore.

FOREST SERVICE EMPLOYEE

Jim Ramage, 63

Shasta

INJURED IN THE CRASH

GRAYBACK FORESTRY EMPLOYEES

Jonathan Frohreich, 18

Medford, Ore.

• Good condition at UC Davis Medical Center

Richard Schroeder, 42

White City, Ore.

• Fair condition at Mercy Medical Center in Redding

Michael Brown, 20

Gold Hill, Ore.

• Good condition at UC Davis Medical Center

CARSON HELICOPTERS EMPLOYEE

Bill Coultas, 44

Cave Junction, Ore.

• Critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center

Ways to offer your support:

The Wildland Firefighter Association is accepting donations to help support the families of the fallen firefighters. For more information, go to www.wffoundation.org. Contributions should reference the "Iron 44 Incident," states a Grayback Forestry news release.

Cards and letters also may be sent to:

• Grayback Forestry, 1570 Ave. F., White City, Ore., 97503.

• Carson Helicopters, 828 Brookside Blvd., Grants Pass, Ore., 97526.

• Shasta-Trinity National Forest Patient William Coultas, Attn: Fallen Firefighters Support, 3644 Avtech Parkway, Redding, CA, 96002.

• Patient William Coultas, UC Davis Burn Center - Burn Unit, 2315 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA, 95817.

For more information about the memorial, go to www.graybackforestry.com.

UPDATE 08/28/08 - I felt it was very important to add where donation's can be made to. My time in Weaverville was my first experience being around men and women who dedicate their lives to wild fires and they have my humble gratitude always:

Donations

The Wildland Firefighter Foundation, www.wffoundation.org, helps support the families of fallen firefighters and contributions are encouraged. Contributions should include a reference to the Iron 44 Incident.